![[U.S. Midterm Elections 2026] What can the opposition party, the Democratic Party, retake the U.S. Congress and what it cannot do?](/api/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fichef.bbci.co.uk%2Face%2Fws%2F240%2Fcpsprodpb%2F8653%2Flive%2F0bb9a710-dc40-11f1-95cf-a38331e6cb4b.jpg)
Kayla Epstein
The night the results of the US midterm elections were revealed one after another was a dream come true for the Democratic Party. They will face reality next January.
If Democrats were excited on the night of November 3rd and 4th, there was a reason why. Thanks to its landslide victory in the midterm elections, it will take control of both houses of Congress next year.
"Today begins America's great comeback," declared House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries excitedly.
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Democrats, who made a number of promises during the campaign to investigate corruption, lower health care, food and gas prices, and end the Iran war, will now begin the far more difficult process of putting those plans into action.
Just because the balance of power has shifted in Washington doesn't mean Democrats can immediately accomplish each item on their legislative wish list. Although Democrats have taken control of Congress, Republican President Donald Trump still has the power to veto the bill.
Senator Chris Coons (D) told the BBC that Democrats should not think they had gained the public's "confidence" in this election, warning that the party remained "very unpopular".
"We need to prove that we can actually deliver results and answer (voters') concerns and questions, especially around low wages and rising prices," he said.
What the Democratic Party could do
Congressman Robert Garcia of California will soon become chairman of the House's powerful Oversight Committee. As chairman of the House Oversight Committee, he will have the power to make the remaining two years of President Trump's term extremely difficult.
"Hire a lawyer," Garcia said in response to a series of Democratic victories in this election.
There are several committees in both the House and Senate with investigative powers that can investigate allegations of conflicts of interest or other conduct by the president or his aides. Garcia on Monday listed who and what could be the subject of the investigation. Lawmakers cited President Trump's family, "corporate corruption," allegations of wrongdoing by the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the government's response to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Senate also has the power to approve or block the president's nominations of Cabinet members and judges.
For example, if a Supreme Court vacancy occurs during Trump's term, Senate Democrats could block the nomination or pressure Trump to choose a more moderate nominee with bipartisan support.
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The House also has the power to impeach the president. Impeachment is the first step in the process by which Congress removes a public official.
Democrats impeached Trump twice during his first term, but the Senate acquitted him both times. Since impeaching a president in the Senate requires a two-thirds majority, or 67 votes, it seems unlikely that Democrats will be able to convict him.
There is intense debate within the Democratic Party as to whether impeachment is a wise move. His first impeachment in 2019 intensified partisan tensions, allowing Trump to portray himself as a victim of political persecution, which led to increased support for his re-election.
Democrats would almost certainly need the support of House Minority Leader Jeffries to impeach Trump again, but Jeffries has remained vague.
"We've been very clear that we're not making any decisions, we're not ruling anything out," he told CNN in August.
What Democrats may struggle with
Even before the election, it was clear that Americans were dissatisfied with the way Congress was doing its job. According to an October Gallup poll, only 14% of registered American voters approved of the work of their legislators.
However, with a Republican president and a Democratic majority in Congress, the people may face an even more stalemate in national politics than ever before.
"If you thought it was difficult to legislate in previous legislative sessions, even when Republicans were in the majority, it's going to get more complicated going forward," said Casey Burgat, a professor of legislative affairs at George Washington University.
The Democratic Party will have a majority in both houses from January next year, so it will be relatively easy to pass the bill in Congress. However, it would be difficult to pass it into law.
Most bills require the president's signature to become law. President Trump has the power to veto any bill passed by Congress if he does not support it. For Congress to override a presidential veto, a two-thirds vote in both houses is required. The Democratic Party has not won that much in this midterm election.
As vote counting progresses and Republicans continue to lose in the Senate race, Mr. Trump made conciliatory remarks in an interview with the New York Times.
"We will work with the Democrats and we look forward to working with them. Maybe we can come to some kind of agreement."
But minutes later, Trump posted on his social media site TruthSocial a photo of a red hat with the word "VETO" printed in large letters. This ``Jekyll and Hyde'' attitude toward the Democratic-majority Congress may become a theme going forward.
Although many voters voted against Mr. Trump, which helped Democrats win, that may not be enough, Democratic lawmakers acknowledged on Wednesday night.
"Our rejection of Donald Trump and his policies was overwhelmingly responsible for this result," Coons told the BBC, but he was cautious: "But if we set too many goals or have too much internal conflict, we risk missing out on this opportunity."
Mr. Trump has hinted at vetoing the bill, but House Minority Leader Jeffries has stated that he wants to undo the Republicans' deep cuts to Medicaid, the public health insurance used by low-income people, and the health insurance exchanges under the Affordable Care Act (commonly known as Obamacare).
“As Democrats in the House, we are committed to reversing Medicaid cuts and extending the Affordable Care Act tax credit as a top priority,” Jeffries said at an event for health care workers in September.
Talks could also break down as lawmakers try to find compromises on issues that are normally bipartisan, such as policies that affect the cost of living, regulation of the artificial intelligence (AI) industry, overhauling military aid to Israel and curbing the Iran war. The Republican Party, which will be the minority party in Congress, may not have much desire to help the Democratic Party win the 2028 presidential election.
There is also the possibility that rifts will emerge within the Democratic Party, particularly over Israel, making it difficult to build consensus within the party. During the midterm elections, divisions arose within the Democratic Party over continued US military funding to Israel.
Michigan's first-time senator, Abdul El-Sayed, and some candidates for the House of Representatives had pledged to support legislation that would cut aid to Israel. But these Democratic lawmakers may be blocked by party leadership.
Furthermore, even if the Democratic Party gains a majority in Congress, reining in Trump's foreign policy will not be easy.
Even before the midterm elections, there was a bipartisan effort in Congress to limit President Trump's ability to continue the war with Iran. There was a resolution to end the war passed by both houses of Congress, but Congress has not been able to implement the resolution. In particular, although President Trump was unable to veto the resolution to cease hostilities with Iran that the House and Senate passed in June, he has effectively ignored it.
The White House maintains that President Trump has broad authority to continue the war. On the other hand, whether Congress has the power to compel President Trump to act is an "unresolved legal question," said Scott Anderson, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who studies governance behavior.
"Congress can sue and force courts to make decisions."
(English article: What Democrats can and can't do with their new power after taking Congress)
